Hi Ethan,

Like everyone else, congrats on you new forum! Now down to business. I have a basement area that I use as a control room which measures L-12'-8", W-10'-9", Ht-6'-6". I purchased Auralex 2" acoustic foam, and was told by their rep to cover the entire front of the room (incl. ceiling and sides) to the mix postion. I have LENRD bass traps in all four corners of room. I think I need to also have bass traps in the corners adjoining the wall and ceiling in the rear of the room but I'm not sure? I also have cheap IKEA CD organizers (12"x12" squares), about 8 of them that resemble diffusors that I placed on the center rear wall in a varied pattern. (I don't know if they work, just an idea to break up the reflections) Next to them on either side in the rear is 2" foam 2'Wx4'L. I have nothing on the rear side walls.( Any suggestion welcome). What do you think? I'd really like some feedback and help.

E-C,

> was told by their rep to cover the entire front of the room (incl. ceiling and sides) to the mix postion. <

I'm not a fan of covering entire large areas with absorption. Much better is to spread the treatment around the room, which gives a more balanced sound.

> I have LENRD bass traps in all four corners of room. I think I need to also have bass traps in the corners adjoining the wall and ceiling <

Yes, the more corners you can put bass traps in, the better. And most rooms benefit from better trapping than simple foam corners provide. For more detail see the Acoustics FAQ, second in the list on my Articles page:

http://www.ethanwiner.com/articles.html

--Ethan

Ethan thanks for the sound advice (no pun intended).
So what you're saying is I should perhaps space the 2'x2' acoustic foam squares that cover the entire front. Maybe like- foam, space, foam,space, etc... How far apart would you suggest? Also what do you think about the diffusors? I wish I had a photo of them so you could see what I'm talking about. Sorry. I really want my room to sound good for mixing. I'm open to any suggestions from you, and the guys that read these threads.
Thanks again.

EC,

> Maybe like- foam, space, foam,space, etc <

Yes, a 2x2 foot checkerboard pattern works well.

> Also what do you think about the diffusors? <

I can't imagine anything you'd buy at IKEA is even remotely useful as a diffusor, but I haven't seen what you have. Even so, in a room that small you need absorption much more than diffusion.

--Ethan

How about the T-Fusors for the rear center to replace the IKEA
stuff? Thanks for the suggestion of more absorption within my room. Looks like I'll be doing a little rearranging this week with the foam. By the way Ethan I never mentioned what's on the floor. I have tile, and a area rug right at the mix position. I used to have the whole area carpeted with commercial carpet, but I had a little sewer back-up so I replaced it with some great looking tile. Of course any help from you regarding the floor is also always welcome.

Thanks.

E,

> How about the T-Fusors for the rear center to replace the IKEA stuff? <

Again, I can't imagine diffusion being much help in a room that small. You need absorption much more, especially at the lowest frequncies.

> I have tile <

Tile is good, but that also means you need some absorption on the ceiling for balance, and to prevent flutter echoes between the floor and ceiling.

--Ethan

Checkerboard worked great for me. Something else I tried years ago, and liked the result, was get a friend to sit in your prime listening position, and move a mirror across the walls. Everytime s/he reports they can see a reflection of a speaker, that's a reflection point. Mark all the primary reflection points, then do the same thing for secondary reflections, having your friend report each time they see the speaker and/or a previously marked reflection point. Then, simply treat the areas on the walls and ceiling that were marked. Since mid/high frequencies are directional, this won't work for bass end, but you always have to treat differently for bass anyway.

This method made one place in the room stellar, and incredibly tight sounding, leaving the rest of the room so-so. The checkerboard is more of a shotgun method, making a more consistent sound, but with no real great place in the room to hear.

Also, it depends what you're intending to do in the room. I like a more live sound for tracking than mixing, so if you ever intend to record in the room, you might want to keep absorbtion down (foam), but diffusion up (bookshelves, furniture, etc). I often track in my control room as many of my clients prefer being in with me, so again, checkerboard worked great on a few walls.

Thanks guys for all the help. I'll start looking at ways to spread the foam around the room and ceiling. Might have to make or purchase some more bass traps though.

Thanks again.